# Recharging Savinelli balsam filters...



## Bryant (Mar 9, 2010)

I picked up a nice Savinelli Roma with the light colored lucite stem. It came with that pack of balsam filters which I've been told most people don't bother with. So I smoked it with the filter and without. Either way is fine but the balsam does tend to leave the bowl dryer which can add to the life of the pipe. Problem is the balsam gets saturated and is only good for a bowl or two. So I pull the filter then dropped it in a shallow cup of Scotch (my cure all) overnight. Just let it float around and the Scotch pulls the oils absorbed in the balsam but also sanitizes it. Then let the balsam air dry overnight. I've managed to keep about five filters in rotation and the system works great. Prior to which I was just throwing out the filters after a couple bowls.


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## Mister Entertainer (Oct 7, 2009)

I have never used the filter in any of my pipes, but that is interesting that it would keep the pipe drier. The scotch treatment is very ingenious, recycling is always a good thing. :rockon:


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## GuitarDan (Nov 26, 2009)

Balsam is a conifer tree that would make your smoke taste like pine.

Balsa is a very lightweight deciduous tree that is used for making kites, poor quality guitars, and pipe filters.


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## indigosmoke (Sep 1, 2009)

...and model airplanes. Seriously though, I like the Sav balsa filter system. I usually throw them out after two bowls or after one if I switch tobacco blends.


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## GuitarDan (Nov 26, 2009)

Why not save the used filters to make a baccy-plane?


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## indigosmoke (Sep 1, 2009)

GuitarDan said:


> Why not save the used filters to make a baccy-plane?


I've known some guys who could probably do that.

Seriously, when I run out of filters I'm just going to cut up some 1/4" balsa triangle stock I have and make my own filters. Not that the filters are very expensive, but I can get several feet of balsa stock for the price of a pack of filters at my local hobby shop.


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## plexiprs (Nov 18, 2005)

Please tell me that you do _*NOT*_ drink the Scotch ...........


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## Bryant (Mar 9, 2010)

A bunch of wise guys eh'...


No I don't drink the Scotch that I use to cure the bowls, wipe down the bowls, or recharge the balsam filters. The Scotch is my choice for working my pipes, it cleans, it disinfects, it removes oil, and it's fun to drink.


Secondly, it's balsam, not pine- so it doesn't add nor detract from the flavor. The balsam just help to keep a dryer bowl and a dryer smoke. Not that there's anything wrong with a normal smoke as I like both. If anything, the soaking of the filters in your choice of Scotch, Brandy, Vodka, Bourbon, or whatever gives it a lift after re-charging the filters. Another layer of flavor. I do advise letting the filters dry overnight so you don't catch on fire. 


Finally, I have no intention of building model airplanes from the filters.


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## indigosmoke (Sep 1, 2009)

Looks like you can make all sorts of things from balsa wood besides pipe filters:

_"It is also a very popular material to use when making wooden crankbaits for fishing, as it is low density but high in strength. Balsa wood is used to make very light, stiff structures in model bridge tests and for the construction of light wooden aeroplanes, most famously the World War II de Havilland Mosquito. It is also used in the floor pan of the Chevrolet Corvette Z06 sandwiched between two sheets of carbon fiber-reinforced polymer. In table tennis paddles, a balsa layer is typically sandwiched between two pieces of thin plywood. Balsa wood is also used in laminates with glass-reinforced plastic (fiberglass) for making high-quality balsa surfboards and the decks and topsides of many types of boats, especially pleasure craft under 30 m (100 ft) in length.

Balsa wood is often used as a core material in composites, for example, many wind turbines are made partially of balsa. It also remains a popular material for model aircraft, offering an excellent balance of strength and low density.

The light weight of the wood derives from the fact that the tree has large cells that contain water. After the water is driven off in an extended drying process, the resulting hole has a large surface to give strength. Unlike dry rotted wood, the surface is made of the usual strong cellulose/lignan mix.

Norwegian scientist/adventurer Thor Heyerdahl, convinced that early contact between the peoples of South America and Polynesia was possible, built from Balsa wood, the raft Kon Tiki upon which he and his crew sailed the Pacific Ocean from Peru to the Polynesian Tuamotu Archipelago in 1947."_


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## GuitarDan (Nov 26, 2009)

Bryant said:


> ...
> Secondly, it's balsam, not pine- so it doesn't add nor detract from the flavor. The balsam just help to keep a dryer bowl and a dryer smoke...


I had no idea Savinelli switched from Balsa to Balsam! Someone aught to remind them to change their website to reflect the change! :doh:

Cleaning

I can only imagine their embarrassment! mg:


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## indigosmoke (Sep 1, 2009)

Maybe they should rename them ochroma pyramidale filters to avoid confusion.


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## plexiprs (Nov 18, 2005)

GuitarDan said:


> I had no idea Savinelli switched from Balsa to Balsam! Someone aught to remind them to change their website to reflect the change! :doh:
> 
> Cleaning
> 
> I can only imagine their embarrassment! mg:


Perhaps that "convertor" is what changed run of the mill "balsa" into the recyclable, reusable, Scothable, taste-enhancing, pine-cleaning, cone-loving, and eco-friendly "balsam!"

And now I see why the Celtic Solvent of Wallace is required ....

_Balsam is a term used for various pleasantly scented plant products. These are oily or gummy oleoresins, usually containing benzoic acid or cinnamic acid, obtained from the exudates of various trees and shrubs and used as a base for some botanical medicines. They may be obtained from:

-- Balsam fir (Abies balsamea), producing Canada balsam
-- Balsam poplars (Populus section Tacamahaca)
-- Commiphora gileadensis, producing Balsam of Mecca
-- Myroxylon, producing Tolu balsam and Peru balsam_

Damn those crafty Italians ......!!! :hungry: :deadhorse:


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## Pypkius (Apr 28, 2009)

My Sav Polo smokes better and dryer with the filter. What I do is just wash it after smoke with water, then rinse it by gently squeezing and put on the radiator or simply on the table overnight. This way I use one filter for a number of times until I start to taste bitterness.


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